My wife and I are planning a trip to Switzerland and are looking for some beautiful countryside <BR>and unique local treasures to see. We will be travelling through frpm September 24-26 and are looking for some suggestions and also some quaint places to stay as well. It is all part of a Western Europe trip. If you have any tips please pass them along. Thanks for the help.

If you've got a rental car, spend a day around Lucerne. The lake area is beautiful, and there is a small, back-door town along Lake Lucern called Brennan. This town is very quaint. The Garden of Eden Restaurant sits right near the lake. The hotels are nestled along the hillside with just the walkways and road separating it from the enormous lake and its picturesque landscape. If you know a little German you should be okay with getting around in Brennan: the tourist crowd seems to mostly European. <BR>Happy Travels!

Thanks for the suggestions Frank. We will take a drive off the beaten track. <BR>

Stayed on Lake Genevva, in Montreaux for a week, made side trips every day. Enjoyed the village o Gruyere, the cheese factory has a tour in French, English or German. The walled in village has a castle at the top of the hill. Nearby is the village of Broc and the Chocolate factory! From Intrlaken you can take a trian to Laturbrunnen, a funicular up to Murren, a train to Wengen to get the longest cable car ride in Switzerland to the top of Mt Schilthorn and the revolving restaurant Piz Gloria, as seen in a James Bond movie, Her Majesty's Secret Service. The view is spectacular.

Stayed on Lake Genevva, in Montreaux for a week, made side trips every day. Enjoyed the village o Gruyere, the cheese factory has a tour in French, English or German. The walled in village has a castle at the top of the hill. Nearby is the village of Broc and the Chocolate factory! From Intrlaken you can take a trian to Laturbrunnen, a funicular up to Murren, a train to Wengen to get the longest cable car ride in Switzerland to the top of Mt Schilthorn and the revolving restaurant Piz Gloria, as seen in a James Bond movie, Her Majesty's Secret Service. The view is spectacular.

Hello; I'm the editor of the Switzerland guidebook and thought I'd throw a few ideas your way. The Gruyere, Luzern, Murren, etc. suggestions are all on target; the country is chock-full of gorgeous scenery. But for something unmistakeably Swiss, you might also want to consider the Emmental region, near Bern. This area (home of the "Swiss" cheese) is great for driving or biking, with rolling green hills, beautiful farmsteads, a lovely view from the peak of Chuderhusi, and tiny villages like Signau, Trubschachen, and Affoltern, where there's a demonstration dairy. You can take highway 10 from Bern, direction Worb/Langnau, and can drive a loop in a day. Bern itself would be a great place to spend a day; the arcades and painted fountains along the main street are beautiful, and if it comes time for an aperitif, head to the tiny, candlelit (and romantic) bar in the Belle Epoque hotel. Have a wonderful trip!